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CAPSULES OF COFFEE: A DOSE OF CANCER EVERY TIME?

Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound (a ring with four carbon atoms and an oxygen atom) that is created during the heat treatment of food. It turned out to be carcinogenic when studies were conducted on laboratory animals. Furan is therefore a little the homologue of acrylamide, a molecule that is created in grilled foods (and gives them their taste and smell), and which is also carcinogenic.

Acrylamide: an embarrassing presence

This chemical, potentially carcinogenic in humans, is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked, fried or roasted at temperatures above 120 ° C.

To fight this poison, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2007 asked the various states to push their food manufacturers to make efforts to reduce the acrylamide content of their products. However, the recent report in which the European authority analyzes 22 food categories proves that they made no effort.

Only three products have a drop in their acrylamide level:

crackers (- 35%)

the gingerbread (- 27%)

However, we still find more acrylamide in:

the rusks + 36%

in instant coffee + 370%

it is the chips that, with 4.804 micrograms per kilo , which hold the sad record, even beating that of October 2009 and which was then only 4,180 micrograms per kilo.

And we may fear that the situation is even less brilliant in France: our country has transmitted only eight analyzes to EFSA …

According to the study conducted jointly by the magazine 60 million consumers and ANSES (National Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Labor) in 2013, we find acrylamide but in quantities that do not present a health risk for normal coffee consumption (up to 4 cups per day).

Furan when it is found at higher rates (up to 25% of the daily allowable dose), but since coffee is almost the only source of exposure for individuals, these rates for normal consumption are not more recognized as dangerous.